"Looking for a battle" Topic

Hi TMP,

I'm finally settling into a new house and have a space for a large gaming table. Once mats and other terrain are done, I'm looking to mount a rather sizable battle. The table size will be roughly 8'x8'. I should be able to model any generic terrain (rivers/streams, roads, towns, trees, etc.) however here's where I need help…I'm not sure what battle/campaign I should loosely base this own. I'm going to draw up my own scenario for the actual game, but I need a campaign or series of battles that a hypothetical battle could take place in between what I have available.

Here is a general rundown of what I have access to:

French (majority of my "French and allies" force)
Polish
Confederation of the Rhine
Saxons (they could feasibly fight for either side)
Cleves-Berg

I know some are minor, but if there ever was a time in which all of these could have been combatants, or at least most of them, that's what I'm looking for.

On the Coalition side, we have:
British
Prussians
Austrians (maybe, hopefully, soon)
And again some of the more fluid groups like Saxons can fight here instead.

Maybe I stand no chance, but if any one has any idea, let me know!

Thanks!

1807 or 1809 would seem to be good years for campaigns. Spain or Germany or Poland. Brit vs French and CoR in Spain, Austrians vs French and Allies in Bavaria, Poles vs Austrians in Galicia.

1809. The British make an effective landing in Hanover instead of a useless display in Holland, and the Prussians intervene.

Not what you asked, but I would rethink the table dimensions. 8' is just too wide unless you are about 8' tall yourself. Others may differ, but I've found that 6' is about as wide as it is practicable to go. Even then, it is a stretch for the shorter players and it is easy to knock terrain or figures on to the floor.

AussieAndy is right. A friend has just fitted out a new wargames room. We soent a lot of time discussing width and settled on 5 feet. This is a comfortable reach for most of us, who range in height from about 5'8" to 6'plus. You would need gibbon arms to be able to reach comfortably to the centre of an 8 foot wide table.
As for campaign- 1815 " what if". Napoleon defeats British and Prussians at Waterloo, but dies not destroy them and they are able to consolidate a position around Brussels. His former Allies rejoin Napoleon, but Austria enters the war, invading from the south- east…………get some Russians painted up as well and really make a go of it.

Thanks gentlemen, great points! I should clarify, 8x8 is my largest possible table…it likely won't be the actual size. I'm liking the idea of an alternate end to Waterloo! The other campaigns will be good for smaller lead up games too. I hope to be teaching some new people the ins and outs of historical gaming now that I have the space.

Thanks as always!

G'Day Parks

I have to agree…'what if' battles after Waterloo are ideal for players who have different armies…

Most of our battles are fought after Waterloo….

This way all players can use their armies…British…Swede…Russian…Austrian…Prussian…and the Spanish / Portuguese shipped in via Gibraltar…Africa…Malta…Poland…against the French and Neapolitan ;-)

Yes we even have a player who loves his Neapolitan Army ;-)

Quite often we say that the Neapolitan Army found its way moving north and joined up with the French…

As a matter of fact…there is even a player who has the 1815 French Army of Alost…of course the Allied Players always seem to give this army a suicidal mission ;-)

Best Regards
Art

Brits vs (French, Poles and some German States) in Spain.

Prussian vs French 1813 in Germany ( u=you could throw in some Austrians when you have them)

Poles and Saxons vs Austrians